Why Choose Dentistry?Compelling
reasons to choose dentistry as a career

Need for Minority DentistsThere is a
critical need in underserved communities

Why Chose Dentistry?

There are many compelling reasons to choose
dentistry as a career.

Service to Others:
Dentists help people maintain and improve their
oral health, quality of life and appearance.
They receive a great deal of personal
satisfaction by providing an essential community
health service, by educating future dentists and
by doing valuable research. Dentists treat
everyonethe healthy, the ill, the young, the
elderly, the disadvantaged and those with
special needs.

Balanced Lifestyle:
Dentistry offers the flexibility to balance your
professional life and personal life. You can
choose to practice in a clinical setting with
other dentists or own your own dental
practicewhichever best fits your lifestyle.

Self-employment:
Dentistry affords the opportunity to be one's
own boss and own a dental practice. As
independent entrepreneurs, dentists set and
maintain their own regular hours.

Earning Potential/Demand:
A dentist's average income is in the highest 5
percent of U.S.
family income, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau. The demand for dental care is projected
to grow. As baby boomers age, they will continue
to need preventive services and many baby
boomers will require maintenance on existing
dental work. Large numbers of dentists are
expected to retire in the next 20 years,
creating a need for new dentists.

Status and Prestige:
Dentists are socially conscious, talented, civic-minded
professionals who work with community leaders and other
health professionals to promote oral health care.
Dentistry has a distinguished history of leadership in
improving world health.

Creativity: As
artists, dentists combine keen visual memory, excellent
judgment of space and shape and a high degree of manual
dexterity in the delivery of patient services. Computer
applications complement scientific knowledge and
technical skills.

Variety:
Dentistry is changing rapidly, creating many
opportunities and challenges. Dentists treat a diverse
group of patients in a variety of settings using a
variety of techniques and procedures.

Detection of Diseases:
Dentists are often the first health care providers to
recognize and identify a number of illnessesincluding
cancer and cardiovascular problems. Research suggests an
increasing link between oral diseases and other health
concerns.

Diagnosis and Treatment:
Dentists diagnose and treat conditions affecting the
teeth, tongue, gums, lips and jaws. Exciting
technologies, such as digital radiography and laser
systems, along with enhanced new materials and
techniques, can be used to correct dental problems.

Surgical Restoration:
Dentists perform trauma US Dental, place implants, graft
tissue to repair, restore and maintain the teeth, gums,
and oral structures that have been lost or damaged by
accidents or disease.

Cosmetic Improvement:
Dentists improve their patient's appearance by using a
wide variety of modern dental materials and equipment to
help patients feel better about their smiles.

Prevention/Education:
Dentists educate patients and the general public on how
to maintain oral health and prevent disease. Dental
professionals play a leadership role in implementing
community-based preventive programs, such as community
water fluoridation, sealant programs or oral cancer
screening.

Research:
Dentists are involved as scientists to further the
knowledge of oral diseases, treatment techniques and
materials used to correct dental problems.

Need for Minority
Dentists

There is a critical need in many underserved communities
where minority and disadvantaged people are not getting the
care they need. Only
12 percent of students entering dental school are
minorities, while minorities make up 25 percent of the
general population. Recent data shows that
minority dentists treat a very high number of minority
patients.

More underrepresented minority dentists (African American,
Hispanic and American Indian)
are necessary to eliminate the barriers to oral care. This
need is expected to increase as statistics indicate that 58
percent of the population will be comprised of
underrepresented groups by the year 2050.

Minority students sometimes face barriers themselves in
gaining higher education and obtaining a medical degree,
such as a degree in dentistry. Below are first person
accounts from two minority dentists who share some of the
barriers they faced while pursuing their dental degree.
Their reflections were provided to the
ADA as a courtesy.

Be a Dentist: Career Mentoring

Mentoring Students (K-16) Interested in Careers in Dentistry

Would you like to:

Talk with a dentist in your community

Ask
questions

Possibly observe first-hand (job shadow) a dental
professional at work

Why Seek a Mentor

Mentors can help you understand dentistry (from the other
side of the chair)

Provide guidance pursuing dentistry as a career

How to get Started

Contact the mentor coordinator for your area from the
list of mentor coordinators below.

The
mentor coordinator will refer you to a dentist in your
area. Contact may take place via e-mail or phone and
possibly include a job shadowing opportunity.

Suggested Questions

After reviewing the career information, it is helpful to for
the student to create a list of questions to discuss with the
dentist mentor. Here are just a few suggested questions:

How
did you become interested in dentistry?

What kind of education is required to become a dentist?

What can I do in junior high/high school/college to
prepare for a career in dentistry?

How
and when would I apply to dental school?

How
difficult is it to get into dental school?

What is the cost of a dental education?

What are the average earnings for a dentist (general
practitioner and specialist)?

What kind of tools/equipment do dentists use?

What is the future need for dentists?

What is an average day like for a dentist in private
practice?

Where else do dentists work?

Are
all dentists self-employed?

From your experience, what would you recommend to
someone who is considering dentistry as a career?

How
or where else can I find information about dentistry?

It is suggested that a student write the dentist mentor a
thank you letter for sharing his/her knowledge and
experience.

How to Get Started

If you're interested in talking to a dentist mentor contact
the participatingstate
dental association
/dental
school
in your area and ask for the mentoring coordinator. The mentor
coordinator can refer you to a local dentist mentor who will
get you started with the program.

Mentor
Coordinator Contact Info

Dental Society/School

Phone Number

Arizona Dental Association

480-344-5777

Butte-Sierra District Dental Society, (CA)

530-671-9312

Chicago Dental Society

312-836-7300

ConnecticutState
Dental Association

860-378-1800

Florida Dental Association

850-681-3629

IllinoisState
Dental Association

217-525-1406

Louisville Dental Society,
(KY)

502-244-2005

MedicalCollege
of Georgia

706-721-3587

Mississippi Dental
Association

601-982-0442

Montana Dental Association

406-443-2061

Muskegon District Dental Society, (MI)

231-780-3200

New Mexico Dental
Association

505-294-1368

New YorkState
Dental Association

518-465-0044

New YorkUniversityCollege of Dentistry

212-998-9693

North Carolina Dental
Association

919-677-1396

North Dakota Dental Association

701-223-8870

PhiladelphiaCounty
Dental Society, (PA)

215-925-6050

TempleUniversitySchool of Dentistry

215 -707-2801

University of Iowa
College
of Dentistry

319-335-9650

University of
Southern California
School
of Dentistry

213-740-2800

University of the Pacific
School
of Dentistry, (CA)

415-929-6424

Virginia Dental Association

804-261-1610

Be a Dentist: Dentistry Career Options

Dentistry offers stimulating career options. In addition to
private practice, excellent opportunities exist in teaching
and research, careers with government agencies or in
industry.

Private Practice:
Many dentists work either in solo private practice or in
partnerships with other dentists. The majority of
private practice dentists own their practices.

Academic Dentistry: An
academic dentistry career combines teaching, research,
community service and patient care. Faculty members work
in an intellectually stimulating and exciting academic
environment. Career opportunities for academic dentists
are excellent at this time. Additional information is
available at the American Dental Education Association's
(ADEA) web site,
http://www.adea.org

Public Health Dentistry:
This career focuses on community settings rather than
private practice. Promoting dental health, developing
health policy and preventing disease are the major roles
of a public health dentist. Numerous opportunities exist
in research and teaching within public health dentistry.
The U.S. Public Health Service offers dentists an
opportunity to provide dental care in unique cultural
environments (e.g., an Indian Reservation, Coast Guard
base, or Federal Prison).

Research:
Research careers offer opportunities to generate new
knowledge and be on the cutting edge of scientific
discoveries that ultimately impact patient care. Some of
the latest research improving patient care includes
lasers in US Dental, implants to replace damaged bone
and computerized x-rays. Many researchers are faculty at
universities while others work in federal facilities,
such as the National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research (NIDCR),
www.nidcr.nih.gov and
the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
www.nih.gov
or in private industry. A career in research requires an
advanced degree or additional training beyond the dental
degree.

International Health Care:
Dentists provide services to populations abroad and work
for such agencies as the World Health Organization
(WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Many dentists volunteer to bring dentistry to aid people
in third world countries.

Hospital dentistry:
Hospital dentists treat patients with medical conditions
and disabilities alongside physician colleagues, often
in operating rooms and emergency departments. Hospital
dentists usually have a strong interest in medicine and
collaborative care and have spent a year or more
training in a hospital-based setting after dental
school.